10 May 2010Are you ready for the Season of Season Finales? by John Torrey

It’s that time of year again, TiVo® service fans. A bunch of your favorite characters are ready to pack it in for the summer…with a few packing up to ride off into the sunset one last time.

But are you set for all your favorite finales? Here’s a quick checklist to make sure you’ve reached a Boy Scout level of preparedness for finale season:

Have you accounted for finale switcheroo? You’ve been enjoying the final season of “Lost” all year on Tuesday nights. You’ve checked and rechecked your Season Pass® priority list to make sure that absolutely nothing ever conflicts with your Sawyer time. But beware! There’s a switcheroo afoot as the finale of “Lost” is actually on Sunday May 23rd instead of on a Tuesday night. Lots of networks move their biggest season finales to their biggest nights in order to get the biggest audiences. Now’s the time to check your Season Pass priority list and make sure that your most important shows are at the top of the list.

Have you padded recordings in case things run…a bit…long? Unless you’ve just started watching “American Idol” you know that it’s a show notorious for running more than a few minutes over it’s time slot almost every week. The finale is no exception so make sure you’re prepared! Unless you watch to reach the “Are you done with this program?” screen just as Ryan says “Turn down the lights and let’s go” for the last time this season add a few extra minutes to the finale of “American Idol” in the “Recording Options” screen. Just choose to “Stop Recording: 10 minutes late” and you’ll be sure to see this year’s Idol champ take the stage for the first time as champion.

Can you avoid the spoilers? There is better time of year for major jump off the couch revelations on your favorite shows than during season finale month. As a TiVo service user, you’re used to TV on your terms so you may not watch the finale of your favorite show until a few days after it’s aired. Nothing spoils great TV like already knowing what’s going to happen so remember to avoid things like entertainment website, talk shows and overly chatty friends until you’re ready to talk about Jack Bauer’s final hour or how Liz Lemon’s going to get herself out of her latest jam.

Are you ready for the long summer? Summer doesn’t mean reruns anymore as networks roll out more and more new shows to get you through the dog days. Take a few minutes to check out all the new shows and returning favorites coming this summer and set up a Season Pass recording or two. Nothing says summer fun like ABC’s “Wipeout” or the return of NBC’s “America’s Got Talent.”

If you’ve answered “Yes!” to all of these questions then you’re ready to face finale season head on. Let us know how you’re using your TiVo box to handle this year’s finale fun.

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